Best Shower Head Review - Top 5 Hottest List for Mar. 2019 with Buying Guide

Last Updated: 7th February, 2019

Best Shower Head Review – Top 5 Hottest List for Mar. 2019 with Buying Guide

Take your time, relax, and enjoy Groom+Style’s Best Shower Head Review.

It’s hard to believe, and it’s a shame. There really are people who don’t enjoy one of the great pleasures of life: leisurely enjoying a long, relaxing shower. The joy of lingering in a calm cocoon of water; the pleasure of a sharp, piercing spray stimulating the senses; the bliss of warm steam and hot water suspending time and rejuvenating the body – shower-haters miss all of it in their rush to get in and out as quickly as humanly possible.

Take your time and read the shower head buying guide information just below. Alternatively, skip ahead by clicking on the following link, to see which models made it onto the best shower head top 5 list.

For the rest of us, there are shower heads. They turn what might be a pitiful, slow drip into a cascade of comfort, satisfaction, and even luxury. They’re what make a simple shower into a wonderful shower. All that’s required is selecting the right fixture.

What Features Make for the Best Shower Head?

Of course, everyone has their own idea of what makes a shower head the “right” one. A firm massage, a gentle rain, an energizing pulse; what’s perfect for one person is simply an annoyance for the next.

Once you’ve decided the type of spray pattern that’s right for you, selecting the “right” shower head becomes much easier – unless, of course, you share the shower with someone whose preferences don’t match yours.

In that case, a hybrid shower head combining several settings can solve the problem, and perhaps even keep the relationship a happy one. That’s why the Groom+Style review team has focused on models which provide multiple spray options.

Quality of Build, Fixed or Handheld, Water Saving and Filtration

Shower heads can be simple or intricate, fixed or handheld, inexpensive or pricey. In our rankings of the top 5 best shower heads the team look at all of those possibilities but focus even more on the construction, reliability and pure satisfaction that each fixture can provide once the door is closed or the curtain is pulled shut.

And in these days of droughts and water shortages, we also give “extra credit” to low-flow shower heads which save water while still delivering a satisfying shower experience. Some shower heads even come with a filter to remove chlorine and sulfur etc. from the water.

In other words, ranking shower heads is much more subjective than ranking toasters or yo-yos; our #1 could very easily be your #5, simply because the type of spray Groom+Style think is just right could be your pet peeve. So take these reviews with a grain of salt, and rest assured the Groom+Style review team has tried to include at least one terrific choice for just about everyone.

Moen S6320 Velocity Rainshower Showerhead. Click on the photo to check the Price on Amazon.

Let’s start with the obvious: this is an expensive shower head. But consider this as well: it’s a fabulous fixture. Moen is well known for its outstanding faucets, and this fits right into their lineup.

The Velocity Rainshower is a very large, eight-inch showerhead that provides excellent total-body coverage with straight-out power. The power comes from what Moen calls its “Immersion” technology, which relies on internal pressure to boost water flow’s force as it leaves the head, and a “spoke” nozzle design to focus and magnify the power of the water coming from each nozzle.

That design is able to provide as much as three times the power of an ordinary showerhead. The self-cleaning nozzles also have rubber spray formers so it’s simple to remove the minerals which build up over time.

There are 100 separate nozzles on this large shower head, but not all of them are necessarily in use at the same time. You can use the full force of the Immersion technology by selecting the high-pressure spray of the Velocity, which concentrates water flow through 30 of the center nozzles for a powerful, invigorating shower. Or you can flip a switch to send the water to all 100 nozzles, which activates the calmer rainshower function of this showerhead for a gentle, relaxing experience.

Those are the two types of flow most users want in a multi-function shower head, and both are exceptional – as long as you have decent water pressure reaching your shower, of course. Most showerheads offer three settings instead of two, but with these two, you won’t want or need a third unless pulsing streams are important to you.

The construction of this Moen head is also exceptional, as we expected from having reviewed other of the company’s products in the past, The strong and durable brass head comes standard with an attractive and reflective chrome finish, but the Rainshower is also available in brushed bronze, antique bronze, oil-rubbed bronze or brushed nickel (expect higher prices for the bronze models) so it can fit with any existing bathroom décor.

You should bear in mind, though, that the showerhead’s large eight-inch size might not allow it to fully tilt and adjust on some shorter shower arms, so you may need to purchase an extension to get the full benefit of this model.

There’s a maximum water flow of 2.5 gpm (gallons per minute) when you’re running it at full blast, so there’s enough pressure for even the pickiest shower fanatic. The Velocity is also available in a model that’s WaterSense certified at 2.0 gpm.

Wall or ceiling installation is relatively easy and can be done by most people without calling a plumber (but that call would be a good idea if you have any doubts, naturally).

We probably don’t have to say it at this point, but we will: this is the best shower head on the market.

Speakman S-2252 Icon Shower Head. Click on the photo to check the Price on Amazon.

Many people decide that it’s time to replace their old shower fixtures after experiencing the joys of an adjustable shower head while staying in a hotel. And the chances are excellent that the shower head that’s such a revelation to them – is a Speakman.

There’s an inexpensive model (the S-2005-HB) that’s used in many lower-level motels, but the shower head the team is reviewing here is more like the ones used in upscale hotels and inns.

The performance of the Icon is due largely to Speakman’s trademarked “Anystream” technology, which allows you to easily rotate the handle on the side of the shower head to change the water stream to whatever suits your needs or mood.

From a full and intense spray to massage-style pulses, to light streams for gently rinsing the soap off the body or simply enjoying the moment – all are selectable, with a gradual transition between spray types occurring as you slowly move the handle.

There are 48 spray nozzles on the Icon and even though they are directed from just six plungers, none of the sprays ever intersect. That’s not easy to accomplish, but if anyone could do it, it would be Speakman; the company has been manufacturing bathroom fixtures for more than 150 years.

This hotel-quality shower head is made from solid brass with a polished chrome finish (polished or oil-rubbed brass and brushed nickel are other options), has self-cleaning nozzles, and delivers a 2.5 gpm water flow with a 2.0 gpm model also available.

The Speakman Icon Anytime has a traditional “shower head look” and is four inches in diameter – but its performance belies its size. This is a terrific choice, at a reasonable price.

Delta Faucet 58045 Two-in-One Shower. Click on the photo to check the Price on Amazon.

We’ve just mentioned people who stay in hotel rooms and decide they need a shower just like the one in their room. The same thought often occurs to people visiting another country where the majority of shower heads aren’t mounted high on the wall (or ceiling).

They’re taken with the flexibility and convenience of a hand shower, which can fit into a wall bracket for full-body use and then be removed to be used to direct the spray exactly where it’s needed most – or used to easily wash children, pets and even the shower itself.

The Delta In2ition goes the hand shower one better because it combines the benefits of a traditional wall-mounted faucet with those of a hand-held faucet. This fixture installs just like a regular shower head, but part of the head is a removable hand-held unit.

For “normal” use the shower head provides four types of showering experiences: steady or pulsing full-body sprays, and fast or slow massage sprays (plus a “pause” setting which reduces flow to a trickle for lathering).

But the middle section of the showerhead has a long, 69-inch hose attached to it, allowing you to slip the hand-held unit out to use in any way you’d like, and then slip it right back in when you’re done. And when the inner ring is removed to be used by hand, the outer one stops spraying. It’s an ingenious approach and a very effective one. It’s also low-flow, at 2.0 gpm.

The sprays provided by the In2ition are strong and effective, and Groom+Style love the idea and performance of this shower head. Then why is it only ranked #3 on our list of the top 5 best shower heads? There are two reasons: most people still prefer a traditional wall fixture, and this one is made from chrome-finished plastic (other colors are available) rather than metal or brass.

It is very well-built and should hold up for quite a while, but it won’t be as durable as the top two showerheads on our list.

Delta has another model (the 58469) with some bronze in it, but it is more expensive and still primarily plastic. The review team thinks this is a better buy.

The review team like this Delta fully featured shower head a lot, and the fact that it’s plastic contributes to its relatively low price. A similar product made with all metal would be much more expensive.

American Standard Flowise Water-Saving Showerhead. Click on the photo to check the Price on Amazon.

You can’t see yourself spending a ton of money on a showerhead, but still want performance? American Standard is a well-respected fixture manufacturer, and they have what you’re looking for.

The Flowise uses 40% less water than most heads but doesn’t skimp on function; it pressurizes water and then uses a turbine to increase force, instead of just letting the power of the water determine the flow. The end result is a strong and satisfying choice of regular spray, more powerful and directed turbine spray, or a combination of the two.

The way this head conserves water is by using just a 1.5 gpm flow for normal use, increasing it to 2.0 gpm when turbine spray is selected or 1.8 gpm for combo spray, and then automatically returning to the lower, water-saving level. The adjustments are easy, as is the installation.

The Flowise is a solid, traditional shower head and with its metal construction, it’s built to go the distance, at a very attractive price.

More info on the American Standard 1660.717.002 Flowise Water-Saving Showerhead:

Culligan WSH-C125 Wall-Mount Filtered Showerhead. Click on the photo to check the Price on Amazon.

Groom+Style finish our list of the top 5 best shower heads with a bargain-basement model which may be invaluable if you have hard water or problematic water quality.

This Culligan head has a filter and an anti-clog spray nozzle to remove chlorine, sulfur, scale and other material before the spray reaches you, yet still delivers a strong flow for a good shower. The company claims the filter is 99% effective – and with Culligan’s reputation for filtration, we believe it.

There are five selectable sprays including different levels of full body, pulse, and spray; while the flow isn’t quite up to that of the other models we’ve reviews, it’s very close. And the water reaching your body will be cleaner and healthier than with any of the other shower heads we’ve looked at.

It’s made primarily from plastic and the filter has to be changed (at least) every six months or so, but it may be just what you’ve been looking for if you’re tired of leaving the shower smelling like sulfur.

The Groom+Style review team hopes you enjoyed this review. While you are replacing your shower head why not consider replacing your kitchen faucet as well?

7 Comments

Groom+StyleJanuary 8, 2019

Hi Chanin,

Thanks for your comment and helping us to improve our content.

We did not mean to communicate that the “built-in” filter was permanent (and did not need to be changed) in the second paragraph. Either way we have updated the paragraph to ensure this does not cause confusion for other readers.

Also, thank you for letting us know how often you need to change the filter.

Please let us know if anything else is unclear.

Kind Regards,
Lisa

ChaninJanuary 7, 2019

I hate when people review products and they are either unclear or just outright contradict themselves. In the second paragraph of the Culligan WSH model it says it has a PERMANENT filter, then in the LAST paragraph it staes the filter needs changing every six months. So which is it? Also, I currently have a Culligan shower head (it may even be the very same model in this review) and trust me, the filter needs changing more than every six months. More like every 2-3 months. AND they are expensive.

Groom+StyleJanuary 4, 2019

Hi Professor Value,

Thanks for your comment. My only observation would be that if you have tried many, maybe the cheaper models do not last as long as some people desire?

Kind regards,
Lisa

Professor ValueJanuary 3, 2019

The cheap showerheads accumulated in a box at Home Depot are GREAT! I’ve sampled many. Trust me.

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